Mexican Zucchini Boats: A Better Burrito

I love burritos but they are usually way too much food for one serving - and yet I eat an entire one in a flash.

They typically combine rice and a tortilla which is a double-whammy if you are trying to be low carb. I love peppers, corn, tomatoes, and lots of flavor so I don’t really want to give them up.

Enter Mexican Zucchini Boats! I make a whole casserole dish of these and then I can put 2 in my lunch box when I want a burrito. The only problem with storing these is that sometimes someone eats them when I am not looking. You know who you are.

It is important to bake them in a covered dish so the liquid in the zucchini steams the filling.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a 9x13” casserole with non-stick spray. Slice zucchini in half length-wise and spoon out the center of each zucchini with a teaspoon or melon-baller. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add bell pepper and onion and sauté until onion is softened (about 4 minutes). Add corn, jalapeno, beans, salsa, cumin, and chili powder.

Lay zucchini in casserole and fill with bean mixture. Sprinkle each half with cheese and cover the casserole with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with cilantro (optional).

11 Comments:

I prefer the wrap to be a large, lightly cooked cabbage leaf, fill with the goodies then bake for a while. Zukes can't be everything, can they?

Jo

Joon March 1, 2016

I think using zucchini like this is brilliant!! Besides looking to use less "stodge" in my cooking, I notice as I get older I feel uncomfortably full with too much of it. This really lightens things up and provides more veggies - another goal of mine. Snack Girl, you rock!! Thank you for helping us all eat better while keeping things yummy!

Doloreson March 1, 2016

Love the zucchini idea. Easy to hold and eat. Wrapping mixture in leaves can be messy. I like zucchini anyway--- besides you are adding another veggie and that is always good.

Mariaon March 1, 2016

This sound delicious! After you scoop out the zucchini, do you sauté the "scooped-out" part with the other veggies?

Rachelon March 1, 2016

@Rachel - I did not - I tossed out the center part. My thinking was that it would be too watery for the filling. Thanks for your question!

I made these last night and it was super yummy and filling!!! I used pinto beans due to preference and it was wonderful. Thank you!

Paulaon March 2, 2016

Sounds absolutely delish

Sparkinaon March 4, 2016

I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS. I used a regular can of corn instead of frozen, and I'm not a huge fan of jalapeno so I didn't put that in it, but it was still super yummy. One of my favorite recipes.

Kellyon February 16, 2017

This sounds yummy. Although do you need to boil the zucchini before you add the filling to it ?

poojaon August 22, 2018

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Hi, I'm Snack Girl and my website is devoted to making eating well fun. I create recipes, review food, and talk a lot about how to best journey down the healthy road.